Wednesday, April 11, 2012

For about a year now I've had my eye on this newly revamped garden. The chain-link fence is even shorter than mine--3 feet tall at most. It actually looks taller in this photo:

I can't remember what used to be here--I guess not much. But I remember the day I walked by and saw that little stone bench, which is probably less than two feet high itself. This makes perfect sense. You can imagine how a regular sized garden chair would pop up above the fence line, the proportions all out of whack. But with this very small, complementary stone bench, I imagine a different scene instead--maybe a child sitting there in the sun while a parent tends the tomatoes. In other words, the fence is the last thing I notice, and its height seems "about right" rather than "short."

While the new plants are growing in, the garden decor offers colorful whimsy.

One can imagine a banana scented butterfly bush in here, with real butterflies floating about.

It's amazing how that bench, some new mulch, a patio, and a few stepping stones turned the formerly nondescript urban space into a very cute, tidy garden.

Some musings on what to do with a shorter chain-link fence:

Clearly, aim to find a focal point that is the right size!

If privacy is not an issue, and the height of the fence will not be changed, I might try extending the miniature garden theme to go with the little bench. Miniature roses, crocuses, Siberian squill, sweet woodruff...a tiny pond, or painted bird houses. Maybe a Japanese Maple somewhere, pruned accordingly.

A miniature children's garden would also be interesting. I picture vintage toys, like an old red wagon planted with ranunculus or any extremely bright flowers.

On the other hand, if privacy is wanted soon-ish and on the cheap, a shrubby border would do. Lilac or forsythia might even engulf the fence, hiding it entirely. If you use grapevine or ivy, you could eventually add in a taller trellis to increase the height.

Really, the possibilities abound. I look forward to seeing what the gardener here decides to do. Even if he or she puts in a big wooden fence, at least I'd know it was nice inside!

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free-lance writer, novice gardener, urban/community gardening enthusiast; currently co-authoring a work of popular history tentatively titled Green Victorians On Twitter @chainlinktrelli and @NorNoirWrdprs